de Havilland Sea Mosquito

When Captain Eric 'Winkle' Brown landed a modified de Havilland Mosquito FB Mk VI on the aircraft carrier HMS Indefatigable (R10) on the 25th March 1944 it became the first twin-engined British aircraft to achieve this feat and paved the way for a naval variant of the Mosquito.

The Sea Mosquito TR Mk 33 was the first variant and was powered by a pair of 1,640-hp Rolls-Royce Merlin engines. This gave the aircraft a top speed of 376 mph, range of 1,265 miles with a service ceiling of 30,100 ft. Armament consisted of four 20 mm cannons and either 1,000lb bombs or torpedoes. A number of changes were made to the aircraft to get it ready for naval operations. This included folding wings, also installed was American ASH radar. The first of these flew on the 10th November 1945.

The first of nine Fleet Air Arm squadrons to receive the Sea Mosquito TR Mk 33 was No. 811 Naval Air Squadron who began to receive theirs during August 1946 and would be the only squadron to use the aircraft in frontline service, which lasted less than a year when on the 1st July 1947 No. 811 Naval Air Squadron were disbanded. This wasn't the end of its service with the Fleet Air Arm as it was still being used until June 1953 when the last Sea Mosquito TR Mk 33s were retired from service with No. 751 Naval Air Squadron.

The Sea Mosquito TR Mk 37 was the only other variant of the type produced. This was the same as its predecessor but instead of the American ASH radar it was fitted with British Air-to-Surface Vessel Mk III radar. These would enter Fleet Air Arm service during December 1948 equipping Nos. 703 and 771 Naval Air Squadrons during its seventeen months service before being replaced in May 1950.

In total 67 de Havilland Sea Mosquitos were built.